Method of starting governed engines



June 20, 1939. J WREN 2,163,136

METHOD OF STARTING GOVERNED ENGINES Filed June 14, 1937 INVENTOR BY J m fl/V/eE/V.

EHATTC'RNEEY 6 Patented June 20, 1939 UNITED STATES METHOD OF STARTING GOVERNED ENGINES John H. Wren, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application June 14,

6 Claims.

This invention relates to method of starting internal combustion engines which are speed controlled by the well known governor, especially those engines which have their speed controlled by means operating to vary the mixture of two or more gases where at least one of the gases is a fuel gas. Governors are designed to regulate speed and not aid the starting of engines, in view of the fact that such regulators are so constructed and connected with the fuel mixing valve that the valve is wide open when the engine is to be started. Such a position of the mixing valve is highly undesirable because it seriously impedes starting the engine,. especially, if the means of rotating the engine is not geared high enough to rotate the crank shaft sufficiently fast to bring the governor into action in order to partially close the mixing valve.

Unless the mixing valve is partially closed before starting, great quantities of rich fuel will be drawn into the cylinders of the engine with the result that starting will be difficult, particularly in cold climates, and further, when the engine does start, untimely detonations will take place.

26 Such detonations place unusual and dangerous strains upon the engine and associated parts which obviously shorten the life of the engine.

Applicant avoids the faults set out above by manually or automatically partially closing the mixing valve. This is accomplished by maomentarily releasing the governor's control over the valve and providing means to set the valve opening atthe-desired degree so that, the cylinder is not flooded with a rich mixture but, rather a perfect firing mixture. The cylinder by applicants means, may even be primed or charged in the hit-miss fashion until the engine starts. After starting, the primer or governor release means may be feel-adjusted until it is desired to place the regulation of fuel under the action of the governor.

An object of this invention is the disclosure of means and methods to disengage the control of an internal combustion engine governor's control over the fuel mixing means and substituting a manual control in order to facilitate starting of the engine.

Another object is to set forth means and meth- 0 ods to avoid uncertain engine starting which is under the control of a governor..

Another object is the provision of apparatus and methods to manually set the fuel valve of an engine under a governors control so that the 55 proper mixture and amount of the fuel will enter 1937, Serial No. 148,124

the cylinder for starting the engine without interference from the governor.

Another object is to avoid the use of high speed engine starters, by employing governor release means over the fuel supply.

Still another object is to provide means to set the fuel valve opening of an engine at a fixed point independent of the governor of the engine.

Other objects will become apparent from reading the specification and perusing the drawing.

The following specification and drawing are not to be taken in a sense so as to limit the scope of the invention except as limited by the appended claims. The specification and drawing are given only to disclose one form in which the invention may be practiced.

Figure 1 shows a partial elevational and longitudinal view of an engine with parts in section.

Figure 2 shows a detail with parts in section.

Figure'3 shows a sectional detail taken along the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 shows a view taken substantially along the line 44 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows with certain parts removed for the sake of clarity.

Figure 5 shows a plan view substantially along the line 5-5 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

The letter X indicates the block of an internal combustion engine although this part may be any part or appurtenance of the engine suitable for mounting the apparatus to be described.

The numeral I indicates a yoke or guide member to limit and direct a sliding wrist pin 2 which is held at one end of the guide by a cam-like stop 3 having a finger lift 4. A pin 5 fixed to the yoke l provides a pivot so that the stop 3 may be vertically lifted to free the pin 2 for movement along the length of the guide. An arched spring 6 fixed to the yoke by screw 1, urges the stop downwardly to block the guide and stop the wrist pin.

Screws 8 hold the yoke or guide rigidly to a female threaded coupling 8 which receives a male threaded end of a push rod I0; a lock nut 9 holding the rod and guide in adjusted position. Push rods II and I2 of suitable length are provided to transmit motion from and to the guide I and rod Ill, respectively; the rod H being designed to transmit automatic motion and the rod i2 manual motion. At one end of the rod I2 is a finger grip l2 and the other end a recess l3 for engagement with the wrist pin 2. A flanged standard M anchored to the engine block provides a loose slide sleeve for the rod I2. A winged screw I5 is threaded through the standard and is a means to fasten the rod l2 in any predetermined position.

An angled lever l6 pivoted to the rod II at H and at l6 to a bracket fixed to the casing of a mixing valve I! vertically moves a valve assembly l8 by means of a valve rod l9 pivoted to one end of the lever IS.

A flanged bearing 20 fixed to the engine block by any suitable means, journals a spindle 20' fixed to rocking arms 2| at the ends thereof. One arm is fixed to the wrist pin 2 which slides in guide I and the other arm is pivoted at 22 to an adjustable extension of the rod II. By this arrangement, horizontal motion in rod I0 is translated to rod ll, rod H causing the valve stem It! to reciprocate by rocking of lever IS.

A flattened extension of rod I0 is pivoted at 23 to an angled lever 24 which is pivoted at 25 to a bracket 26 fixed to the casing of a governor. 21; The end of the leverbeing pivoted at 28 to the reciprocating rod 29 of the governor. Governors to control the speed of internal combustion engines are well known, and it is deemed, therefore, for the sake of simplicity that it is unnecessary to show or describe its internal construction.

The mixing valve I1 is divided into 3 chambers by walls 30 and 3|; the walls having openings 32 and 33, respectively, with flanged perimeters to provide sleeves for perforated valve elements 34 and 35 which are joined together to act in unison. When the valve stem I9 is raised, both valves are open soas to permit communication of all valve chambers.

A pipe 36 admits air to the upper valve chamber and pipe 31 fuel gas to the lower-most valve chamber. The middle valve chamber is the gas mixing chamber and has egress openings connected with pipes 38 which carry the combustible mixture to the various'combustion cylinders of the engine.

When it is desired to start the engine, the governorcontrol of the mixing valve is released by pulling the stop 3 upwardly so that the wrist pin 2 is free to slide along the guide I. The knob I2 is then manipulated so that the recessed or hooked end I3 of the rod [2 is in gripping relation with the wrist pin 2. Thewrist pin is then adjusted by manual manipulation of rod l2 so that through rod H and lever I6, the mixing valve elements 34 and 35 partially close their respective ports. The amount of fuel gas that can reach the cylinders is thus materially lessened so as to avoid flooding the cylinders with excess fluid with attendant undesirable results. The rod l2 may be set at a predetermined position by tightening the winged screw l5. After the engine starts and it is desired to return control to the governor, the rod I2 is manipulated so as to engage hook with wrist pin 2 and draw the same to the outer or stop end of yoke l behind the stop 3 andfthus, the rods I0 and H are connected so as to place the mixing valve under control of the governor.

I claim the following:

1. The method of starting an internal combustion engine having automatic means to control its speed and a fuel air mixing valve, which consists in manually releasing automatic control of the gas mixture, manually setting the gas mixture while the engine is turning at low speed, and then releasing manual control after the engine has started and to establish automatic regulation of the air-gas mixture by said mixing valve.

2. The method of starting an internal combustion engine having automatic fuel regulation to limit its speed; manually releasing automatic regulation of the fuel, manually actuating the fuel mixing means so as to feed predetermined quantities of fuel to the cylinders of the engine until suitable firing is obtained, then manually releasing independent fuel feeding and then returning control of fuel to automatic regulation. 3.- The method of starting an internal combustion engine having a fuel mixing valve and an automatic speed regulator by the following steps: first; manually disengaging automatic regulation of the fuel supply; second, manually regulating the fuel supply toprevent excess flow; and third, re-establishing by manual operation regulation of fuel feed to automatic operation when engine is able to attain speed.

4, The method of starting an engine having a firing chamber, an air fuel mixing valve and an automatic; speed control therefor; by manually releasing automatic control of fuel supply to be fired, manually controlling the fuel supply so as to avoid an improper fuel mixture in the firing chamber, and manually re-establishing'control of fuel mixing and feed to automatic control when combustion causes sufficient speed of the engine to effectively control the fuel automatically. v

- 5. Amethod to start engines having a fuel mixing valve and automatic means to control its speed, which consists in manually releasing automatic carbureting control of the fuel, then maintaining for a predetermined period of time the carburation of the fuel until proper speed is attained, then returning from manual to automatic control of the fuel.

6.- The method of starting an engine having a firing chamber, an air-fuel mixing valve and an automatic speed control therefor which consists in manually rendering the automatic. control for the mixing valve inoperative, manually regulating the operation of the mixing valve, maintaining'the mixing valve at the lower than normal speed of operation for a predetermined period of time until the engine reaches a predetermined speed and then releasing manual control of the mixing valve and re-establishing normal driving conditions between the automatic control and said mixing valve.

JOHN H. WREN. 

